Cuban Refugees Will No Longer Benefit From ‘Wet Foot, Dry Foot’

Cuban refugees no longer have “wet foot, dry foot” to help them move to the U.S.

Just one week shy of leaving the White House, President Obama’s administration has announced it is ending its long-standing “wet foot, dry foot” policy with Cuba. The policy, enacted in 1996 as part of the revised Cuban Adjustment Act of 1966, grants Cuban refugees who arrive to the U.S. permanent residency after one year of living in the United States. In return for the U.S. taking back the policy, Cuba has announced that they will start to take in Cubans that the U.S. has designated as subject to deportation, according to a statement released by the White House.

“By taking this step, we are treating Cuban migrants the same way we treat migrants from other countries,” Obama said in the statement. He added, “The United States, a land of immigrants, has been enriched by the contributions of Cuban-Americans for more than a century. Since I took office, we have put the Cuban-American community at the center of our policies. With this change, we will continue to welcome Cubans as we welcome immigrants from other nations, consistent with our laws.”

In the above video, CBS Miami news sent a report to Versailles, a popular Cuban restaurant in Miami, to get reactions from Cuban community.